Chapter 48: Skills Determine Fate

Young Master Ye was a good person, generous with his money, and had self-awareness. He was willing to listen to others’ opinions, making him a rare ‘second-generation heir’. But his biggest flaw was his impatience; he never waited for others to finish speaking. Last time when they talked about ‘special skills’, he ran off presumptuously. This time when they mentioned ‘hero’, he ran off again. If next time they talked about ‘harmony in life’ and he still ran away, Liu Liwa would start to doubt his orientation.

The night grew deeper, but the Intoxication Pavilion became even livelier. Aside from the girls who had been taken away by regular customers earlier, the other girls gradually took on some casual guests. Seeing them with amorous expressions and spring-heart stirring looks, Liu Liwa also felt a stirring within himself. The feeling of guarding a chicken coop but not being able to eat any eggs was truly unbearable.

Liu Liwa looked upstairs. No major figures who could ascend to the third or fourth floor had appeared. It was clear that a pleasure house would never be a high-end industry. But since Liu Liwa had come, everything was going to change. He would slowly turn the pleasure house into a performance company. The girls would no longer be just girls but would become dazzling female stars. By then, it would have to become high-end. As long as they transitioned from service workers to artists, their status and value would be different. Even Furong had once been invited by a deputy township head…

Guests continued to arrive in a steady stream, and the crowd became more mixed. Among them were gamblers who had just won money at the casino and drunk vendors. They might only be able to visit the Intoxication Pavilion once in their lifetime, so they appeared extremely excited. The girls, adhering to a money-first attitude, warmly received them. At the same time, Wang Meng and his group of enforcers became more alert. If anyone tried to dine and dash, they would have work to do.

“Little Seven, I never thought you’d really have skill. Just by talking, you earned shiny silver taels.” Youngster Yang seized a free moment to approach him, pulling out the reward silver Liu Liwa had given him earlier from his chest. There were still about sixty or seventy taels. Though he spoke lightly, his face showed pain as he took out the money, as if it were connected to his flesh and blood. His feelings of envy, jealousy, and resentment were clearly visible.

Liu Liwa quickly expressed his stance: “Not at all, not at all. It’s all thanks to Fourth Brother’s care. Please don’t stand on ceremony with this small amount of money. Your little brother is currently in a punished state. After being here for so long, I haven’t even had a dry bed or clean clothes, let alone eaten a decent meal. I beg Fourth Brother to take more care and look after me. Consider the rest as your little brother treating you to drinks.”

Yang Xiaosi’s eyes immediately lit up. He had long known Liu Liwa was savvy, but he hadn’t expected him to be so open-handed. Sixty or seventy silver taels were equivalent to one or two years of his salary, yet Liu Liwa gave it away without batting an eye. Truly, he came from a great family with exceptional grace.

Yang Xiaosi promptly nodded in agreement. At this rate, he’d not only provide bedding but would even be willing to bring his own sister to warm Liu Liwa’s bed. “Little Seven, look, it’s getting late. Probably no more important guests will come—just some ordinary ones. I can handle things here. You must be tired, so go back and rest early. I’ll definitely take care of your requests.”

Liu Liwa smiled. This was the reward for serving a leader well. You give up your own interests to meet his needs, and he uses public resources to meet yours. A win-win situation!

Liu Liwa and Yang Xiaosi exchanged more polite words. Since there were no big leaders like Shen Zuijin or Wu Liniang around, a true man should leave early without saying early thanks!

Liu Liwa returned to the backyard. Two enforcers guarded the entrance. Though they didn’t speak, their gazes at Liu Liwa were fierce, probably on orders from security manager Wang Meng. But Liu Liwa paid them no mind.

In the backyard, the young servants were still busy. The girls needed baths and clean chamber pots—these were their evening tasks. But when they saw Liu Liwa, they all seemed a bit nervous, as if eager to know if Shen Zuijin, having seen the clothes they washed, would promote them.

Liu Liwa ignored them and walked past without a word, keeping them in suspense so they would maintain high work enthusiasm. If it didn’t work this time, there would be another chance!

When he reached the door of his small room, he immediately felt his whole body relax naturally. Here, there was no Wu Liniang’s cold, piercing gaze, no Shen Zuijin’s unruly face, no Wang Meng’s malicious expression, no girls’ feigned enthusiasm, and no guests’ lewd appearances. However, it wasn’t as peaceful as he had expected. Faint sounds came from inside the room. Liu Liwa pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully. The sounds inside were intermittent, sweet and cloying, and had a certain rhythm: “Mm, ah, oh, yeah…”

The sounds were clear and the tone brisk, as if they had entered the final sprint stage with continuous high notes. Liu Liwa immediately grew tense. Who was this? Could it be Qin Wan’er receiving deeper training? Had a fine cabbage really been eaten by a pig? And it was the cabbage right next to his own nest!

Liu Liwa was furious. No matter who was doing what, he was in charge here. Even if it was too late to save the situation, he would scare the person involved into impotence, while also getting an eyeful.

Liu Liwa kicked the door open with one flying leap. Through the room’s curtain, he saw a petite, lively figure. She tilted her head back, making her curves even more pronounced. Each “mm” and “ah” made her whole body tremble. Liu Liwa scratched his head—what kind of position was this?

There was no time to worry about that now. He yanked the curtain aside, startling both himself and the person inside. The sickeningly sweet sounds immediately stopped. Little Loli Meng Xinying blinked her big, bright eyes like night stars as she looked at him. But Liu Liwa wasn’t looking at her; instead, he searched the small room of about ten square meters. The bed, the wooden table—he could see everything at a glance. There wasn’t a single male fly…

Meng Xinying froze for a moment, then suddenly ran up to him. She innocently shook his arm and said in her intoxicatingly sweet loli voice, “Brother Liu, how was my practice of the ‘Liu Vocal Method’ just now?”

Huh? Liu Liwa was taken aback, then realized—the little girl had been practicing vocal exercises! Back then, Liu Liwa had just been whimsical, feeling secretly frisky, wanting to hear the legendary loli voice, so he made up the ‘Liu Vocal Practice Method’. He never expected the little girl to take it seriously. Once or twice was fine, but he was already guarding a chicken coop without getting to eat any eggs. If Meng Xinying often practiced her “mm, ah, oh yeah, oh no, oh my god” by his ear, he figured he’d either die from frustration or from overusing his ‘five girls’!

Liu Liwa steeled himself and smiled. “Not bad, you practiced very well. You’ve already grasped the essence of the Liu Vocal Method. But you don’t need to practice so hard—it’s not good for your throat.”

“It’s okay, I’m not afraid of hardship!” the little loli said firmly. Liu Liwa felt like banging his head against the wall. “Today, the madam heard me practicing and didn’t make me go to her room to strip naked anymore. She even told me to keep practicing well so I can perform in the front later. Sister Wan’er also encouraged me to practice hard, saying that then I wouldn’t have to suffer the same hard fate as her. Sister Wan’er even cried at the time!”